The Knightling

“Get this man a shield..”

Knightling comes to us from Twirlbound, developer of 2019’s Pine, an adventure game that was the studio's debut. Twirlbound may be a small studio of under 20 people, but it certainly has big ideas. Pine showed a lot of promise, so does Knightling make good on it or feel like a step back. It's a complicated answer, but it's a bit of Column A and a bit of Column B.

Knightling begins as you accompany the renowned Knight, Sir Lionstone, on a mission. In typical assistant fashion, you're doing a lot of the heavy lifting, puzzle solving, and progression to get Sir Lionstone to their destination. However, an encounter separates the two of you, and you return to town to convey the situation and begin your search for Sir Lionstone.

However, you won't be alone on this journey as Sir Lionstone’s shield, Magnustego (or Magnus for short) will be with you. Eventually, the shield will begin to talk to you, and this starts a partnership between the two of you, each eager to find Sir Lionstone and get to the bottom of it. However, there is a lot more than meets the eye here that causes the relationship to be very interesting. 

The central story may be built around tracking down Sir Lionstone, but it's also about the history of this land, Clesseia, including those who once lived there. You get to learn about this history, including an epic battle that saw Sir Lionstone victorious, and the truth behind a mysterious material in callyrium, in which the shield is partially made out of. In fact, this material is so sought after that it becomes the focal point of the story.

The story does a good job at balancing these connecting narratives, revealing just enough at key points to keep you engaged. I will say that some moments in the late game don't quite provide enough information or the closure that I wanted, especially given the importance of key individuals. That said, you do get a say in the game's final moment.

A good portion of the story is built around Knightling attempting to prove himself to the citizens of the Kingdom. From side quests to aiding in many tasks, he slowly starts to change the minds of the people. I do wish there were more to elevate this idea, but it's great to see the moments where these random villagers are surprised at what Knightling was able to do, often explaining that they would rather wait for a real Knight to solve their issue. 

There are several side quests, many that tiptoe around some light puzzle solving, to combat against various critters infecting the land, to shield races, and map locations to track down to expand upon the map. Some quests are also just built around tracking down various items, or a series of stinky kids who refuse to bathe. I do wish some puzzles had audio cues to them, especially one where you figure out the order of switches to throw your shield at. This was mostly an issue as I had tried that solution several times, and it wasn't until I showed a friend the various ways I tried to solve it that it actually worked. Other than that, puzzles are mostly flipping switches or using constellations to solve laser puzzles that require the use of various nodes moved around an area.

The world is largely designed around the ways you'll traverse. You'll slide on your shield, upgrade it to glide, and then take a further bounce you can take in the air. I do wish you could glide by just holding down the button of your initial jump, but you do have to get that second jump out first before it works. That said, I had countless issues where the button wouldn't recognize, making a few platforming scenarios frustrating. The movement of sliding is great, and it's how you'll solve many of the races. I will say that the jump can feel delayed, especially the sprinting jump; it doesn't feel good whatsoever.

The same can be said of combat, which is maybe the game's biggest failing. While I grasp the humor of a small guy throwing or lugging around a heavy shield, the delay in combat is pretty disappointing, especially as enemies can attack really fast, even juggling you with nothing you can do. There are also moments where you are taking on nearly a dozen critters, some of which have projectiles, and you are often bounced around. Some attacks you unlock do feel ok, but most combo attacks, and especially the uppercut, should be significantly faster to pull off. Sadly, combat feels slow, unresponsive, and often not fun. While there is a skill tree, it doesn’t prevent the failings of its combat from improving or from feeling better.

Another aspect of combat is dismantling. Often, strong enemies will need their armor dismantled. You'll do this by putting in a random set of buttons when the prompt is active. This is also how you open chests scattered around Clesseia. While an interesting idea, the speed at which you can input these feels sluggish, requiring a tap-wait a half second-tap rhythm. And, trying to do this while swarmed just isn't fun.

Your shield, Magnus, can talk. And, he will talk as you are in battle or platforming, making it easy to understand what he is saying in the heat of the moment. However, he will often repeat the same five or six lines constantly. However, when it comes to everyone else? Nope, just gibberish. This makes the final few conversations lose their impact, as no one else can speak a language we understand. It's a shame the entire game wasn't voiced, especially as you do have the actors there and that the shield itself sets an expectation here.

Knightling certainly shares a lot of resemblance to Pine in how the team builds their environments and the basic themes and biomes, even if it has that art style we've seen countless times before. There are parts that share in the same overall quality, with a few that are either better or worse than the team has shown before. And to be fair, this accounts for its cast of supporting characters and the various monsters you'll encounter; it can be a mixed bag. 

Knightling has some great ideas and its story is certainly the game's best element. But, the unresponsive combat is the game's biggest failing, and makes encounters more about survival than achieving victory. Twirlbound could convert this into a fantastic series with some improved combat and a more unique visual approach to give the game a stronger identity.

Developer - Twirlbound. Publisher - Saber Interactive. Released - August 28th, 2025. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC. Rated - (E 10) Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X/S. Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.